TOW #541 The impact of the Coronavirus on our professional journeys
More than a month has passed, or more precisely more than 6 whole weeks since we were placed in quarantine. These last weeks have changed the world as we know it. Are we aware of that? Are we really conscious and present in this new world or are we still in the old one? In ‘yesterday’s world’ that no longer exists! Are we crying and whining about it? An old, timeless Bosnian proverb says that there’s no point in whining. And it's true, there isn’t! Many people are seeing and feeling first-hand how their businesses are falling apart, while their money, as well as many opportunities and plans, has disappeared forever. How long this will last, and what the final ‘damage’ will be, none of us can know yet. In this madness, we can only choose between two classic options — whining and regretting that this is happening (why me?!), or accepting the situation without resistance and dedicating all our attention, energy and focus on what we can control ourselves. Ancient wisdom says that an event is just an event, on which we then attach importance of some kind or another. Disaster or opportunity, positive or negative meaning — the way we see it depends only on us, and our decision makes the difference.
One thing’s for sure, regardless of whether we decide to moan or not, and that is that all of us, without exception, will remember the period in which we’re living at the moment. And it’s precise during this time when most of us are locked in our homes that we can do a lot for ourselves. Or against ourselves. It won’t be the Coronavirus’ fault if I’m 15kg heavier when this is all over. I’ll be the one to blame. It won’t be the virus’ fault if I didn’t learn some new business tricks during all these weeks, or if I didn’t read some quality books, or didn’t listen to some good lectures with which I could’ve learned something new, gained some insights and business tips, which I could use, when all this is ‘yesterday’, to negotiate even better deals and seize countless future opportunities. This ‘dead’ time should be used to return from the past and the future to the all-important present moment, in which we can do so much for ourselves.
So, practice, learn, explore, grow, because life has no encore. At the end of the day, the world isn’t so complicated as long as we’re sensible and ruthlessly practical. You simply have to observe, evaluate, and act in accordance with your surroundings and your own judgment. And being a little bit more patient will help too. One day when all this is over and I look back on this period, I want to be proud of myself, knowing that I used this time to the maximum to prepare for a better, much better future that’s ahead of me.
Are you whining or preparing for new victories? I hope it’s the latter!
Good luck!
Igor Belošić, MBA, M. Eng.
General Manager — Sun Chemical Austria and Central Europe
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